One Shots! Enjoy!
by Kisses-Clad-In-Plaid
Summary: A Collection of my Naruto Oneshots. Enjoy! It's going to be rated M for strong language/swearing. Every Oneshot will be an OC pairing  Deidara x OC  -for example.  I will put the name of who the oneshot is about at the beginning of the oneshot.
1. Laundry On A Christmas Eve

**~Deidara~**

"Well this just sucks! Ack!"

The young girl, whom was now currently wiping her face of the snow she kicked, was in a rotten mood. Or so it would seem.

"How could this happen! Today of all days! The gods must be against me...Yeah! That's gotta be it! Damn You Arkai!"

The purplette cursed under her breath as she threw her hands up in the air. Your probably wondering 'Arkai'? Well...whose that'. Arkai was her own god. Only known by her. She was a creative and rebellious girl, never wanting to follow the other gods, so she made up her own.

In her mind, Arkai was a powerful Fox God! ... Many had stopped questioning her love of foxes. Perhaps because her Best Friend was her fox companion or perhaps it was those fluffy black ears that sat atop of her own head. Bottom line was though, she loved them. Especially Larka.

But now, she was alone. On Christmas Eve none the less. Everyone of importance to her had been sent off on various missions, including her fox companion Larka.

"Guess I was stupid to think the Akatsuki would take a break...and this was supposed to be my first Christmas NOT alone! It was supposed to be _perfect_..."

Her yells faded to a disappointed whisper as she sank to the ground. One arm wrapped around her knees, bringing them closer to her chest as she balanced on her feet. The other arm reaching down to draw Chibis in the snow. Her breath becoming visible and fading into the cold air with every heavy sigh.

'Oh well...What's one more year being alone, right? I mean...it totally can't hurt. Won't be any different from last ye-' The now angry girls thoughts were interrupted , reminding her just how cold she was as she brought her hands up and started to rub her arms.

"Karu? What the fuck are you doing out here? And dressed like that! Are you fucking crazy! I should sacrifice you to Jashin for making me -"

The foul mouthed man immediately stopped his sentence short of a word. He would have never even thought about being worried, especially not about some girl. Until she joined the Akatsuki. Though he would have to be mentally insane to admit to ANYBODY that he cared for the girl. Because truth be told, though he didn't quite understand it himself, she was the little sister he never had. Not that he wanted one mind you. They could easily be mistaken as siblings... with all the similarities they shared. Both had light colored eyes and hair, not to mention she had a habit of acting just like him at times. If it weren't for the severe age difference and the evident pearl purple tinge in Karu's eyes and hair, they would look almost identical. But it was incredible, they weren't related at all! Hell, they never even knew each other existed until the day she joined the Akatsuki. That was one day he _won't_ forget anytime soon. It was amazing what a few years outside of Solitude can do...

~Flashback~

Everything was normal, well as normal as the Akatsuki can be at least, not one thing was different. Hidan was leaning on the wall examining his scythe, Kisame and Deidara were In front of the TV, Tobi was running down the hallways like an idiot with Zetsu watching him from the doorway, wishing he could just eat him and shut him up. Sasori was cooped up in his room with his puppets, and the rest were in various parts of the hideout. Most likely the kitchen. Yes. Nothing was different.

"This is the Main room...or living room I suppose you call it... give yourself the rest of the tour..I'm sure your fully capable" Pein said with authority as he walked off, leaving the girl in the doorway alone. The girl with Lavender, almost white, hair stood in the door way for a good 3 minutes. During that time, she did nothing more than chew her gum and bounce the large bouncy ball she had with her, occasionally blowing a bubble and creating a rather loud 'pop' sound. But still no one paid much attention to her; they just couldn't care enough to. But by the look she held in her eyes, she didn't trust anybody. The smart thing to do would have been to just leave her be, but Kisame decided otherwise. He turned his head and took a good look at her, noting that she was covered in dirt and held an emotionless yet -your stupid- look. But also gave off a wave of innocence which the bouncy ball and gum empowered. Getting up and making his way over to the girl, he thought carefully about what he was going to say, which he promptly threw away once he arrived.

"Hey kiddo! The names Kisame! You were brought here by Leader-Sama, so I'm assuming you're the new addition, eh?" He asked while patting the poor girl on the head. However, the only response he got was a small tug on his sleeve.

"Eh...what do you want?" After a few seconds of silence she answered him with a question of her own.

"Why? Why did you greet me?" She asked in a whisper, Eyes secretly begging for an answer. Kisame had to look at her in slight disbelief. 'What is she talking about?...wait. She must be the one Pein rescued from the underground prison...makes sense now"

"Well I'm not THAT heartless ya know! Loosen up! Don't have to worry anymore, your one of us!" Kisame outright laughed at her, making a deep crimson blush stain her cheeks. She obviously had never even been spoken to like that before.

"Don't you laugh at me you overgrown guppy!" She yelled before grabbing the ball and spitting her gum out, effectively sticking it to the doorframe. With still red cheeks, she looked at Kisame with angry purple hues, the anger hiding the slight enjoyment that sparked in her eyes.

"Hey! What did you call me!"

Deidara, obviously ignoring the ranting human shark, finally piped up and re-asked the girl her name. Eyes never leaving the TV to look at her once.

"Yeah! You never did tell us who the fuck you were!" Hidan also felt the need to add his 2 cents into the conversation. Kisame becoming completely ignored. Karu turned her head to look at the two, and all within a blink of an eye she had thrown the ball at Deidara's head with amazing accuracy. Considering that after it bounced off of the blondes head, it whipped across the room and promptly bounced off Hidan's head as well and somehow made its way back to her. The boys were none too pleased with what had just occurred. But their yelling ceased shortly after, for two reasons. One became impressed. And the other...Frozen in a blush.

"Hey, un! What the hell was that all about! That hu-" Deidara turned around to yell at her face to face but stopped dead in his tracks upon looking at her, A blush creeping up on his cheeks. Hidan had also started to yell, but after witnessing that scenario he couldn't help but to laugh.

"Don't you know anything? For one. Never fucking interrupt me while im argueing. Two, Don't you know you're never supposed to ask a girl her name unless you give yours first...Fucking Idiot...And just for the record, my name is Karu...if you care to use it" She remarked while retrieving her bouncy ball and pulling out a new stick of gum.

"You're not so bad kid! Shiiit...You and me will get along just fine!" Hidan cackled loudly, giving Karu a good pat on the back and snapping Deidara out of his trance.

~Flashback End~

Hidan couldn't help but notice how much Karu had come out of her shell. From the girl that was almost scared to talk to anyone, to the one in front of him.

"Shut up Hidan! Can't you see I'm trying to brood! Geez...Can't shut that big mouth of his for even a bloody second..."

. . . 3, 2, 1, Realization strikes once again.

"HIDAN! You're back!" The eccentric woman screamed as she buried her face in his chest with a hug. And damn it, if Kakuzu wasn't there, he would have cracked a smile.

"Yeah Yeah, Get the fuck off me!" He protested in mock madness, but she refused to move. Didn't make much difference anyway, considering he wasn't making an effort to move her. This was good, because instead of listening to Hidan, she looked up at him with tears brimming her eyes.

"You're not leaving again...are you?" The fear of being alone was once again evident in her voice as her fragile body shook like a leaf, Something Hidan HATED to hate. So with a pat on the head, he told Karu exactly what she wanted to hear.

"Nah! I'm not gonna leave ya alone! Stop with the fucking worrying, will ya" He meant exactly as he said. He wouldn't leave her alone. This meant, if he wanted to do his sacrificing alone and in peace...He would have to find someone to stay with her. And he knew exactly who he was going to get to do it. That blonde idiot shouldn't have ever let Hidan see that blush.

"This is sweet and all, But we have to return to base" Kakuzu had to get his few cents in, and it just happened to be for a borderline order. By the look Hidan gave Kakuzu, anyone could tell what he was thinking, and it was definitely something along the lines of 'who the fuck does he think he is! Ordering me around like he's my superior...That ugly fuck is the first to go if I ever get the chance!'

"Shut the fuck up! More like you have to go, I don't take orders from shit for brains like you!" Hidan shouted, forgetting about his hand, which was still firmly planted on Karu's head. Until she screamed.

"Ow! Hidan! If you wanted my hair you could have just asked and then lived with the answer of NO!"

"Oh shut it" Was all the Jashinist said as he removed his hand from her head with a smirk. Kakuzu had already taken his leave, deciding it was a good time. The snow started to fall down harder, resembling the confetti Tobi had made earlier that day, Which Karu stealthily left for Itachi to clean up.

"Come on brat! You should be wearing your fucking cloak at least" That was definitely too much to ask for as she replied with the exact answer he had expected.

"Um...I sort of, kind of, maybe lost it..."The purplette giggled nervously, earning her a sigh from Hidan. Not because this had to have been the 6th cloak she's lost, No, because she was going to get sick if she stayed outside wearing well...That! One cannot leave and go outside wearing nothing but an old dress, knee-high socks and fingerless gloves without getting sick. No. That is not how this world worked. Which meant it was time to go; besides, he had praying to do..._AFTER_ finding Karu some company.

"OW! What did I do, un! What did I do!" The man was once again side swiped by a tail. The owner being none too happy.

"Opened your mouth at the wrong time..." The red headed puppet answered in boredom while retracting his tail from the blondes arm. It was true, if Deidara had just shut up and stopped whining, the target wouldn't have heard and got away. 'Great Christmas eve this is starting out to be...' Deidara thought with sarcasm as he wiped the blood off of his arm and started forward.

'At least Hidan isn't threatening me to spend it with Karu' The Jashinist did just that. Every year! Until he found someone to spend it with her. Though he had been unsuccessful every year. But damn was he determined. Deidara sighed in relief. It wasn't that he didn't like her. Oh No! It was quite the opposite. One could say he really liked her, but that would be an understatement. His feelings for the young kitsune only grew over the years she had been there, and continues to grow with each day. It even got to the point where he thought of himself as a love sick puppy. He loved everything about her, everything she did and said...he just...Loved Her.

So why didn't he want to spend Christmas Eve with her? Simple. Because when he was around her his words became mixed and jumbled and stuck in his throat, his actions turn unexplainable. So in other words...He became a total idiot in her presense...Besides...Deidara had already decided that someone as perfect as **her**, would never fall for someone like **him**. Even if he could make her smile, like Kisame claims. Deidara let out a sigh as they neared their destination, where he would immediately go and lock himself in his room and work with his clay in attempts to avoid Karu. The last thing he needed was to make her think he was an utter reject of sorts. And all was going as planned and he was successfully nearing the base unnoticed, until...

***THUNK***

He was hit by a Jashinist. Square in the head. Followed by a scream from a certain foxy lady.

"EW! Hidan that's gross! Do your sacrificing elsewhere!" And out from the trees she came. Blood on the bottom of her dress and her leggings and anger in her eyes. The sibling like fight began.

"How many times do I have to tell you! When I'm around...JASHIN CAN WAIT! Especially if...oh i don't know...YOUR STANDING RIGHT BESIDE ME!"

She actually didn't mind the sacrificing, Deidara knew that for sure. It was the fact that every time it occurred around her, there was always unnecessary laundry to be done on her end. And she hated washing laundry, even more then spiders, Porcelain dolls, paperwork and couches...She preferred the floor. And she had much better things to do than Laundry. Like sabotage the ketchup everyone but her uses, stealing all the loose change from around the base, reading books that she took from other people, listening to the music that she loves so much, not to mention coming up with new ways of tormenting Tobi on a daily basis.

'Ah...I should be considered a stalker...or at least borderline stalker...' The blonde thought to himself before doing the stupidest thing he could have possibly done at the given moment. He argued back to himself, only this time...it was outloud.

"No! I'm not a stalker! It's called being observant, un!" The immediate area suddenly went silent and Karu felt the immediate need to answer.

"Um...Im sorry to say Dei...but i dont think you're all that observant, well definatly not the most anyway..." Deidara was yanked out of his thoughts by her comment. Only now becoming aware about what he had done. And without delay a red hue tinged his cheeks in embarrassment. The red instantly becoming darker upon realization that the girl he loved was ALOT closer then she was a mere five seconds ago. Collecting his composure and picking the pieces of his pride off the forest floor, he returned to the comment at hand.

If only Karu knew the half of it. How he memorized almost every insignificant detail about her, how he took note that every day of the week had a different assigned hairstyle and outfit, unless she got something new, which then she spent the day coordinating it into her wardrobe. Oh, But he can't forget the fact that she never wears a matching pair of socks, and she only wears knee-highs, never lower. Yes...The things she didn't know.

'I'll do it...I'll grow a pair of balls, stop acting like a pansy, and tell her!' He turned determined eyes towards Karu's retreating form. Fat too preoccupied to notice gleaming eyes watching him from the above tree accompanied by a matching Cheshire grin.

Karu, dreading having to do her laundry once again, turned and continued making her way to the base entrance. New thoughts filling her mind.

'I'm supposed to be angry with Hidan! But Dei...He always makes me smile...even when i dont want to...If only he felt the same...If only he wanted me as much i want him...' Her thoughts were once again interrupted. Did she just hear him correctly? She's never told anyone besides Hidan when she was born. So how did you know that? Karu stopped in her tracks and turned her head slightly, just enough to see his face.

"E-excuse me...?"

"I said...you're a Leo, and your happy about it because other then foxes, you love Lions, un."

Okay...So she was a little impressed. She didn't give a response, silently urging him to continue.

"You love dragonflies, but hate spiders. You hate couches because it always makes you feel like your sinking. You've never worn matching socks and you only wear strictly knee-highs, un. Let's see...you have certain assigned hairstyles and outfits for each day of the week. you've never really ate one a Kisame's meals, you didn't want to hurt his feelings. You...refuse to let anyone...see you cry. You only cry when you're alone at night, un. And it kills me...to hear you cry like that...because you hate being alone so much..."

Deidara stood his ground and looked at her with a steady gaze.

"I...i dont cry..." was her only response as she felt the need to close into herself. How did he know this...what was she supposed to do...

"In your sleep you do, un" She expected as much... but didn't think anyone else heard. Karu suddenly became more insecure as she brought her clasped hands closer to her chest. Her eyes going downcast at the newly received information.

Hidan's anger started to rise upon seeing Karu's current state.

'I swear there better be a damn good point to what this fuck-wad is doing. Or ill kill him where he stands!' His thoughts were dripping with venom and hate towards the idiotic blonde. What exactly did he think he was doing!

'Just hurt her _once_ more...' His hand went up and gripped his scythe tighter at the thought.

"Okay fine. So you're observant. You proved me wrong. But...Answer me this. Why? Why take the time, why even bother? Just...Why?" Karu's eyes held hope during the question. But was soon replaced with disappointment when Deidara gave no reply. So she turned. Turned back around and started to leave with tears brimming her eyes. Until her hand was caught. With confusion evident in her lavender eyes she looked down at her stolen hand. She had full intentions of re-claiming her hand, but apparently it was in the schedule. Instead, before she could react, she was pulled back into an embrace. Karu's back hit chest while strong arms snaked around her small waist, making her heart race and her cheeks redden. But Deidara really took the cake and surprised her when his fingers touched her jaw and proceeded to lead her cold lips to his own in a soft kiss.

Karu froze, not sure what she should be thinking or even doing at the moment. With a full blush on her cheeks she escaped his embrace and placed her fingertips on her newly kissed lips. Her gaze turned to the ground, brain still catching up with what just occurred. She could feel his eyes on her, but she still didn't look up. Until he spoke.

"Because I love you. I have for awhile now. And I just...couldn't take it anymore, un! I had to tell you...even if it meant losing you and making a fool out of myself!" Deidara exclaimed with determination and purpose. Karu's head darted up at his confession and she watched him. All within the next minute, a smile made itself known and Karu had successfully glomped Deidara to the ground, claiming his lips with her own.

The young girl was simply ecstatic! Even the sight of Larka jumping down from the tree onto Hidan's shoulder hardly fazed her.

"Oh, welcome back Larka! Did you hear everything! Did you?" She asked her fox companion with excitement, gaining a nod in response. She had yet to move from her place on Deidara's waist.

"Well, you made her fucking happy...suppose I won't kill ya...**Today at least!**" Hidan cackled loudly, making his leave with Larka perched firmly on his shoulder, Tail wrapping around his neck.

"Gee...Thanks, un" Deidara smugly replied, still on the ground with Karu sitting on him. A position he quite liked. There were a few seconds of silence before Karu spoke. She looked him straight on with a rather serious look, and in a childish voice, asked.

"We'll be together forever, right?"

This time he didn't wait to answer his love. "Do I have a choice, un?" He jokingly asked with a smirk. Which immediately earned him a smack to the chest, compliments of Karu.

"I'm joking, un! Joking!" His visible eye softened as he made eye contact with the girl. Reaching his hand up, he moved a piece of hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear letting his hand fall and stroke her cheek affectionately

"Yeah...We'll be together till the end, un" The blonde whispered before kissing her again, more slowly this time. Karu's perfect moment was cut short with Deidara's next remark.

"Now come one. I have to get back before Sasori Danna has my head, un! And besides...you've got Laundry to do little lady!" He chuckled as he watched the girls face drop to utter disbelief.

"But...But..._I HATE DOING LAUNDRY!_ You do it." She ordered using puppy dog eyes, yet he still refused.

"Oh yeah, cause I _love_ to do Laundry! Don't think so, un." He would do anything for her...except her laundry.

"Oh you do! You _love_ it! **LOVE IT BUNCHES!**" She yelled as she got up, grabbed Deidara's hand and yanked him to his feet.

"Nope, good try though"

"Please?"

"Not a chance"

"Awe come on! How many pretties do I have to put before please to get you to say yes and do my Laundry?" Deidara laughed and with a genuine smile he replied, making sure to pretend to think about it first.

"Hmm...Well...No, un"

"Fine! I give...I'll do my own laundry!" He had won, and after a short pause he said the words he wanted to...no _needed_ to say.

"Love you, un"

"Hn?"

"I said...Love you, un" Deidara was a little taken back but quickly recoverd once Karu replied.

"I know. I just wanted to hear you say it again" She smiled before grabbing his hand and dragging him inside. This was going to be her first _perfect_ Christmas after all.


	2. Ground Score!

**-Hidan-**

It was quite. Too quite, considering she was back from her mission. So what was she up to...?

Hidan stopped in his tracks, curiosity painted on his face like artwork. This girl, whom had only been part of their organization for no more than 5 months, had created a reputation. THE tormentor of tormentors. In AND out of missions. If she wasn't nagging you with constant questions just to get your goat, she was flinging herself at you from the shadows and corners in surprise 'attacks'-

Hidan's eyes widened slightly in realization. "Fuck." Was all the immortal man could say before hitting the ground. All 98 pounds of crazy sitting comfortably on his back, giggling the entire time.

"AHA! WOOOH! GROUND SCORE!" The teal haired girl screamed with enthusiasm as she pumped her fists in the air. All the while ignoring Hidan's angry shouts.

"What the fuck! Jashin's not going to be pleased! NOT GOING TO BE PLEASED! Now get the fuck off me!" Being taken down by a girl her size once is one thing...but when you've been taken down by that very same girl every week...It starts damaging ones pride. And Hidan's pride was definatley damaged.

"Well I dunnooooo...Hmm...Does Hidan deserve to be let up...or should he stay on the ground..?" The petite girl raised her finger and placed it on her chin in thought, purposely taking her sweet time. Hidan's patience quickly dwindling to nothing with every second that passed, before he, once again, snapped. Snapped like every other time this has happened. But a passerby would never know he snapped, for the girl always 'corrected' his behavior with a simple remark then left without a word. Most likely to go torment some other poor fool.

"KARU!" He screamed in anger. Why he didn't just push her off every time was beyond him. Hidan then felt movement from the blue eyed girl. And like every other time, she stood up, bent over, looked him straight in the eyes and poked him in the cheeks. Pride and dignity being thrown out the window like useless pieces of paper once again.

"Awe Hiddy... You really shouldn't yell. That's not nice...hm...You're such a Vampire...Sucking the fun and life outta evveerythiiing! Doesn't matter though...Because you'll always be the one meeting the floor! For I...AM INVINCABLE!" Karu said with a giggle before jumping into an upright standing position and walking away into the kitchen, but not before getting one last poke in. Hidan remained on the ground for a few minutes more, fuming over the way she constantly treated him. Not to mention the way he LET her. Any other Akatsuki member would be dead if they tried that. But something about Karu intrigued him.

"Hey Hiddy. Your turn to make dinner." Kakuzu usually wasn't the one to joke around or mock. But he simply couldn't resist! He finally witnessed Hidan make a fool out of himself...by not fighting back none the less. One would be simply idiotic to pass up that opportunity.

"Shut the fuck up you ugly fuck! This is no-" His shouts were interrupted by other shouts coming from the kitchen.

"YES! FACE CHECK! RIGHT INTO THE FRIDGE!"

"Ow! What the hell Karu, un! That hurt!"

"YOU were too slow miss Dei! What if I were an enemy! You would be DEAD! D-E-A-D! DEAD!"

Hidan and Kakuzu exchanged glances before heading to the kitchen to survey the damage their oh so wonderful Karu had done. And sure enough, the fridge was dented and unfortunately so was Deidara. But we mustn't forget about Deidara's beat red face as he stared her in the eye, nose to nose, and mouth agape at the 'miss Dei' remark. Never the less, he was laughed at. Not only by Hidan and Kakuzu, no no...That's not how life worked out. Kisame just happened to walk in at that exact time, followed by Tobi, Whose laugh sounded as if he had no clue as to what he was laughing at.

"What did you say, un? .Not...A GIRL!" The blondes yell fell on deaf ears, for Karu and Hidan were having a conversation of their own and the others wandered off in hopes of finding something else to hold their interest.

"Just missing the fucking chest I say" Hidan Joined in on the fun as he started to play along. This was Karu. She was tormenting the poor blonde. At least it wasn't him anymore. He couldn't handle another pride shattering 'Ground Score'.

"Well duh! I keep saying...'Implants aren't a bad thing in your case' but does 'she' listen? Nooooo of course not" Karu taunted the clay master while noting that his hand was now in his clay pouch. 'Well...this should be fun!' Was all she thought as Deidara's hand flew out of his clay pouch and released about a dozen spider bombs in her direction. Unfortunately for him, she knew long before.

"Hehe better move Hidan. Or you'll be doing your rituals sooner then you expected" She warned as she turned on her heel in a 180 and jumped in the air, landing on the palm of her right hand. From there she pushed off into the air once again, effectively landing upon Deidara's head and using it as her next push off. Karu landed gracefully on the ground behind the frenzied blonde, and just in time to use him as a shield from his own bombs.

"You know...you really shouldn't let such trivial things get to you! Your gonna end up missing all the good things in life!" She gave Deidara a smile and shoved him out of the kitchen and into the clutches of Tobi, who was claiming that he was a good boy.

"Now the kitchens ruined...Well call me when dinners ready, kay Hiddy?" Karu took no further notice to the kitchen damage as she clapped her hands in front of her face and wandered off to the living room, leaving Hidan to once again question himself. 'Why do I put up with this fucking shit!"

"Because you've fallen for her" Kakuzu knew exactly what the Jashinist was thinking. You don't get paired up with someone and NOT learn to read them like books, even if just a little. But most of it was just plain common sense. Hidan's head swung around to look the thread master in the eyes. It was truly a deer caught in headlights look.

"What the fuck are you talking about! That's ridiculous! Even if that was fucking true, Jashin would never allow it." Could that really be what it was? That strange feeling he had been feeling for quite some time now.

"Tell her,un" Deidara had walked in at the perfect moment. Though he was always somehow bashed into things by Karu, they still had a pretty good friendship going on. Not as good as the friendship Karu shared with Kakuzu, but good enough to know that a certain teal headed brat had fallen for the sacrificing 'boob'...As Deidara referred to him as.

"When the fuck did you get here! And don't tell me a shit for brains idiot like you knows too!" Hidan's anger slightly started to rise. The thought of sacrificing them both crossed his mind more than once. He did NOT fall for that tormenting little brat...

"Well it's not hard to see. More like super obvious, un...When you find yourself thinking about her at all the wrong times...when your mood automatically lightens when she's around, un. You joke more, smile more...we all see it!" Deidara finished with a smirk plastered on his face, the avoidance in Hidan's eyes a clear sign that Deidara hit the mark.

"Fuck! You really are a fucking woman! Why don't you go Bra shopping or something! I swear to Jashin ill sacrifice you!" Deidara just smiled. He couldn't get angry now, no. not when his plan was working so well. If he couldn't get Karu to confess. He would go after Hidan, and he was determined that it was going to work, whether they liked it or not. Deidara's antics earned him a questioning look from Kakuzu, before Karu rounded the corner.

"Hey Big Brother Zuzu! Come on! Come on! You said you'd help me practice today!" And with that, Kakuzu deeply sighed and was dragged away. Karu had immediately attached herself to Kakuzu when she first arrived, claiming he reminded her of her older brother. So she got into the habit of calling him big brother, something he doesn't much mind...now. But before, no matter how many times he got angry or strictly told her not to call him that, she persisted. And eventually it just grew on him.

"Besides... If you don't make a move...Ill claim her as mine, un. She is quite cute, you know." Deidara Taunted, choosing his words carefully. something he normally wouldn't do, but he had his mind set on it...and he WAS going to succeed. Something in Hidan must have clicked right then and there because all in a split second, Hidan had Deidara pinned to the wall. Uttering threats of harm to the man, it was clear that the Jashinist was not happy. But why? He said himself that he had not fallen for the girl, so why was he so angry. After a few counts of thoughts, Hidan realized one thing. The fucking blonde was right, Though he would never in a million years, admit that he was right. Hidan let Deidara fall to the floor and he walked out of the room in a fast steady pace. Karu...He needed to find Karu. Cause this feeling was killing him, and he Hated it!

"Thanks Zuzu! I knew I was doing something wrong in that move...but I couldn't figure out what! Now it's PERFECT!" Using his amazing tracking skills...and with a little help from her very loud voice...He found her just on her way into the base. It was now or never, and Jashin would surely frown upon a coward, so he got an idea and hid in the shadows. Once the petite girl was in place a few feet away, he readied himself and pounced.

"Eeeeeek!" Karu screamed as her back hit ground and she was sat upon. yes...sat upon. Hidan had successfully knocked Karu down and sat on her, placing his hands on the ground on both sides of the girls head for support. The sudden 'attack' made Karu panic and shout the first thing that came to mind.

"Okay! I Really Really Really Like You! I admit it! I'm cute, small and innocent...ish...PLEASE DONT HURT ME!" She looked up at Hidan with big eyes. Her eyes immediately meeting his amused ones. With a cocky smirk evident on his face, he leaned down till his nose was touching hers.

"Good. Well that was fucking easier then I thought. And don't be fucking stupid! I couldn't hurt you without kicking myself down to the ground...You'll be protected from now on. Cause I've claimed you as mine!" Hidan cackled before crashing his lips down on hers in a rough kiss. After the shock had left Karu's small body, she immediately kissed him back with no further hesitation. A minute passed before they broke apart, both panting for much needed air.

"That was definately it" Hidan smirked, feeling quite accomplished.

"...But...Jashin...I thought...me..." Karu couldn't put a full sentence together. Confusion jumbling all her words as she failed to piece things together, back into the complete puzzle it was.

"Well then...I guess I forever sin" Karu simply beamed at his answer, All her prayers finally answered.

"Forever...Sin..." Karu repeated in a whisper.

"Oh yeah. By the way...GROUND SCORE! Fucking rights"


	3. Behaviors Of A Dog

✗✗✗**~Kiba~**

She never spoke.

Not once had Kurenai heard the voice of her new student, whom had been with team 8 for a good 10 months now. But it wasnt just Kurenai noticing this...Everyone in Konoha had noticed.

Yuki Hara did not speak.

Even in her current living situation, she did not utter a single word. Though Kurenai did notice that the crazyness of the Inuzuka household got the best of her at times and seemed to give her a headache to remember. Since the day she arrived in Konoha, roughly 2 years ago, she never spoke a word to anybody. Not even the wind nor a passing bug. As one can imagine, it caused quite a bit of problems. Rumers spread like wild fire, and people believed.

'Maybe she's secretly just too stupid to speak'

'Maybe she was never taught how to..'

'Maybe she's a mute'

Maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe...

All these thoughts of 'maybe' had Kurenais poor head spinning, making her put a stop to her current thoughts. But she couldnt help but wonder. "Is it difficult for you?...Not to have anybody understand..." The jounin had'nt the slightest clue that she whispered her thoughts aloud, causing her to jump when she received a reply.

"B-but S-sensei she d-does have people who u-understand her..." Kurenai turned her head to find Hinata beside her, eyes concentrated on the sparring match in front of them and fingers together in a manner that can only be described as 'Hinatas act of shyness'. She didnt respond, so Hinata continued.

"W-we are not only h-her team, but her f-friends. S-sometimes its hard for us t-to figure out what she w-wants, but we try our b-best and understand her..." Hinata met Kurenais eyes with her own, signifying that she was done with what she was saying.

"Thats all she really wants." Shino had finished his sparring match with Yuki a few seconds prior, and seeing Kurenais facial expression, decided to join in on the conversation that was taking place.

"Shino...Hinata..." Kurenai was thoroughly impressed and at a loss for words. This was surely something to brag about to the other jounins...but that would have to wait. The training day was coming to an end and they definatly couldnt leave without her say. So she took a look around and attempted to gather her team. Hinata and Shino were already there. She just needed to round up Kiba and Yuki, whom were still both in the middle of the training grounds.

The jounin watched with interest as Yuki tucked a piece of her Teal colored hair behind her ears, and continued to watch Akamaru run circles around her, seemingly making her dizzy. The rest of team 8 also noticed Yukis balance going alittle haywire. Both Kiba and Shino moved to catch the poor girl, whom was now too dizzy to comprehend the situation.

Yuki looked up at her savior to be met with sunglasses. Kiba had not gotten there in time, and by the scowl on his face, HE wanted to be the one to catch her. So with a dissapointed sigh, he picked up Akamaru and made his way over to his Sensei, effectivly masking the scowl he had on earlier. But Kurenai saw right through it, and curiosity got the better of her.

"Hinata...I know its none of my business. But tell me, Does Kiba like Yuki? Or has he just developed a rivalry with Shino...?" She asked the young Hyuuga beside her before Kiba arrived. She had noticed since the day Yuki joined the team, that Kiba became more distracted then he was to begin with. She also noticed the death glares he gave other guys who even so much as looked at her. It had put several missions in jeopardy, thank kami they were just D-ranks. Kurenai thought about this quite a bit, but could never figure out if he really liked Yuki, or if it was more of a sibling bond that might have developed. She didnt know. but what she did know though, was that if it didnt stop soon. The source of the problem would have to be transfered. And Kurenai definatly didnt want to do that to her student.

"Oh...y-you've noticed too? I-I dont think its a r-rivalry.." If Hinata was noticing this too, then it wasnt just her. Now that she knew the problem, she just needed to figure out a solution. Easier said then done.

"Rivalry? Noticed what? What the hell are you guys talking about?" Kiba arrived just in time to hear Hinatas response, effectly confusing him to no end. He growled after a few seconds, realizing that noboby was going to answer him.

"I really dont think it concerns you" Shino answered, lying through his teeth, as he arrived escorting Yuki by her hand. One could tell by the way she had her eyes closed that she was still rather dizzy. Kiba looked over, about to retort with a clever comeback, when his eyes landed on Yukis hand. Which was still placed in Shinos for support. The brunette instantly went silent and glared at his friend, emitting a low growl and becoming tense. Upon seeing this, Hinata motioned for Kurenai to bend down a bit so she could reach her ear.

"H-He's acting like a dog...t-that just saw prey..or an i-intruder. Maybe its t-territorial..." She whispered her logic into Kurenais ear. Her eyes widened and she gasped slightly. That was it! It made perfect sense. One of the many dog behaviors, and him being an inuzuka! Kurenai suddenly felt extremely stupid. Why had she not seen this sooner! So Kurenais thinking instantly changed. To solve the problem, she had to start thinking of him as more of a dog. And when a dog does something bad. You correct him.

"Huh? Aka-" Or you do what Yuki just did. Distract him from his current fixation.

Upon feeling his companion being lifted from his head, his attention went from Shino to the culprit behind him immediatly. "Huh? Aka-" Kibas sentence stopped abruptly when he came face to face with the crush of his life, and he was at a loss for words. 'Say something! Don't just stand there stareing at her idiot!'

But it was the same everytime she caught him off guard. usually he was pretty good at hideing the blush that snuck up onto his cheeks, and acting like his normal goofy self. But sometimes he just didnt have time before she started worrying. This was one of those times. He watched her as she pet Akamaru and placed him on the ground. She must have felt his eyes on her because she looked up and met his gaze, Worry immediatly making itself evident on her face and in her eyes. She stood up and placed her hand on his forhead, silently questioning the redness of his cheeks.

He had to snap out of it and start acting like his usual self...Or she'll know for sure! and so will everyone else most likely..That was something he wouldnt have. "uh...Y-Yeah..Im fine! im not getting sick or anything! haha stop worryin so much! silly girl.." Kiba gave a bright smile and laughed loudly at the look of relief that washed over the poor girls being. As cute as she was when worried, he was glad he could put her mind at ease.

You'd think that living in the inuzuka household, They would have alot more run-ins and awkward encounters. But kiba was more careful then that. Besides, if he allowed himself to freeze up like that everytime she was around, he would never be able to hear her voice. And that was something he desperatly wanted to hear. He had gotten close to hearing her voice a few times. He figured out, that the only way to get her even close to speaking..is to make her angry.

Yuki's stomach growled, gaining the attention of the rest of her team. "Hungry Yuki? How about we go get some ramen? My treat! You've all deserved it." Kurenai offered with a smile before catching glimpse of the look in Kibas eyes. She hoped to Kami he wouldnt do anything stupid.

Sure enough. He did something stupid. Pestering and bothering Yuki to be exact. Yuki had glared at him, moved away from him and walked elsewhere, she had pleaded for Shino or Hinata to shut him up. She even hit him. Right in the cheek.

"Ow..That hurt. Gonna kiss it better?" Was all he had to say to that as he laughed obnoxiously and swung an arm over her shoulder, causing a blush to envelope practically her whole face. He was REALLY getting on Yukis nerves, and by the look of it, Kurenai senseis aswell.

"Ah. Here we are! order what you want" Kurenai informed before ordering for herself. Apparently everyone else had the same idea, Because not only did team 7 show up, but team 10 aswell. resulting in yukis attentionto be transfered to the new arrivals and not Kiba himself. Yuki waved a greeting in the direction of team 10.

"Hm? Oh, hey Yuki." Shikamaru boredly said with a wave, once again setting Kiba off. But this time was different. This time he took it too far. Far enough to make Yuki angry.

"...Hey!" Kiba growled louder then usual and had a glare that made his pupils slit. His mind went into a red zone putting him into an aggressive state as he bared his teeth. That...was HIS territory. How dare he get near! His actions even started to scare Akamaru to the point where he jumped off Kibas head and hid behind Yukis legs. Kibas vision was so focused onto shikamaru, he didnt notice the scowl taking place on Yukis face, nor the slight shaking of her shoulders. Not until she snapped that is.

"Kiba Inuzuka!" Yukis voice rang through the area with authority. Kiba still didnt fully understand that Yuki, the one he loved, was speaking...no...Yelling at HIM. "Yellings not going to work..distraction..distract him from what he is so fixated on..." So Yuki did the first thing that came to mind. She stood between the two boys, took Kiba's face in her hands and kissed him.

"Thats enough...please stop now...please..." Yuki rested her head against Kibas chest, enjoying the warmth he emitted. she squeeked in surprise when he wrapped his arms around he waist and hugged her like he never wanted to let go.

"Heh...Your voice...makes me love you even more" Kiba chuckled before tilting her chin upwards and leading her lips to his in another gentle kiss. "But remember this...You ARE my territory" Kiba said, making Yuki giggle.

"What a drag...can i move now? or is Kiba going to rip me limb from limb?" Shikamaru got the okay from Yuki and an appology from Kiba himself.

"Just like a dog huh? you knew all along didnt you Hinata? Shino?" Kurenai asked with a giggle, a smile from Hinata all the reply she was going to get. "But i have one question...Why does she choose to speak now?"

"Because Kurenai Sensei.." Yuki walked up at that moment, with Kiba close behind. "To be a pack leader, You must not only take control and be assertive. But you must follow these simple rules: No Speak, No Touch, No Eye Contact. It should have only taken 2 weeks...But i just couldnt help myself...and kept breaking the No Touch and No Eye Contact rule..." Yuki explained as Kiba rested his chin on her shoulder.

"just dont do it again...okay?" Kiba asked with puppy dog eyes, snaking his arms around her waist even more.

"Well then be a Good Boy and Behave" Yuki Giggled as she gave Kiba another kiss.


	4. Despite The Name

**-Kankuro-**

Tipped over couches. Shattered lamps and pictures. Fridge door hanging off its hinges and food scattered around the room and shoved in almost impossible places. All guests having screwed off and making the mess 'Not their problem', and the all time favorite; Kai Kato passed out and sprawled in an unimaginable position on the floor. Yes, THIS, she was used to. But what she saw this morning after making her way downstairs, Was DEFINATLY NOT something she was used to. They woke her because of THAT. Just when she thought they couldn't get any stupider, they proved her wrong.

~Flashback~

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP.

The aggravating alarm clock continuously yelled in the poor girls ear for the 5th time that morning. With an encouraged yawn and a blink of her morning-dull forest green eyes, she stretched her arm out towards the clock and slammed her hand down. Successfully hitting the snooze button once again, before rolling back over and cocooning herself in the blankets. But that peaceful bliss didn't last long.

CRASH!

The girl quickly sat up in bed, startled awake by the uncharacteristic liveliness of a Saturday morning. She sprang out of bed in a panic, forgetting the sheets that were tightly wrapped around her. Landing on the floor with a thud she sighed and blew her frost white hair out of her face before untangling herself from the sheets and making a dash for downstairs. Almost running into several corners and a fall down the stairs later and she finally arrived at her location, readying herself for what or who was in her house. Her eyes landed on the culprit and she immediately relaxed, slumping her shoulders and closing her eyes with a sigh before a thought occurred. WHAT WERE THEY DOING...?

"Um...What are you idiots doing..?" She voiced her thoughts with an unimpressed tone, having the facial expression to match it. Upon further inspection of the room, realization struck her and she finally understood what the two boys were doing.

"You're...trying to clean up your own mess..." Her eyes momentarily travelled to the clock. "At 7 in the morning...on a SATERDAY morning..." Her eyes closed and her teeth clenched. There was momentary silence as she tried to fight the urge to punch them both. She may have to settle for punching only one. "What is your problem Kai! You never clean up! Especially not after a night of drinking! And YOU! Kankuro! You never help him! So...What is going on!" She yelled pointing a finger at them. In all honesty, she didn't trust them to clean. Whenever they tried to clean, something important or of value broke.

~Flashback End~

Her eyes widened as she stared at the two standing in front of her. "What...did you break?" Her voice came out more worried then she initially wanted it to be, but she soon grew more worried when they looked at each other and a smile grew onto the puppeteers face. "Aw, don't worry Hime! Nothing broke...exactly...Have I ever told you, you look even sexier in the morning" The face painted boy winked and slung an arm around her petite shoulders. Silence dropped on the room like a heavy fog while Hime stared the boys down. Just waiting for one of them to fess up, which just happened to be Kai. Like usual.

"Okay Okay! We broke the fridge again, the washer, we officially have no food left, the kitchen table is glued to the floor, I smashed my communicator so Anko is going to kill me and we...sort of..broke you're...mumble mumble" Hime looked at her older sibling with much disinterest.

"Yeah...so? That's normal. Now speak up you mumbling idiot! I didn't hear the last part." She threatened him with a balled up fist and patiently awaited an answered. "Promise...you won't be mad lil sis?" Kai hoped ever so much that she wouldn't get too terribly angry. After some thought and the crossing of her fingers she agreed and composed her outer image. Making her seem calm and patient.

"Your glass cabinet." He stated with a nervous grin, readying himself to run if need be. Hime slowly walked up to her older brother and looked straight into his familiar forest green eyes, before raising a fist and punching him in the cheek. Kais hand immediately went up to his face and rubbed the wound his 'innocent' little sister had just given him. "Ow! I swear...your punches get harder and harder every time you hit me. Besides...you promised that you wouldn't be angry!" He whined in a childish manner. Something he did every time he knew Hime was angry with him.

Kai was at the age of 11 and Hime was at the age of 8 when their parents died in a mission. So until Kai reached the age of 16, both him and his sister jumped from foster house to foster house. But once 16 hit, Kai marched up to the hokage and had a very meaningful talk...with some very...colorful words for his age.

~Flashback~

"Hey! Old man! I gotta talk to you!" The 16 year old Kai marched up to the current hokage with courage. He had planned this and practiced in the mirror. He was going to get what he wanted!

"Hm? Yes Kai, what is it?" Sarutobi questioned with a smile, bending down ever so slightly to be eye level with him. He was tall for a kid his age.

"Listen...My sister...I...I...I don't want her to have to go through guardians like candy! And she eats a lot of candy! Ya hear me old man! So...I'm...I'm going to take her away from all those shit for brains and ill support her. I'm her big brother. I don't want to see any more tears well up in those eyes of hers! So you better fucking help me with this you stupid old man!" Kai never normally called him a 'stupid old man' or swore. Ever. So this definatly caught Sarutobi off guard. So with a kind smile, he laid his hand atop Kai's head and ruffled his hair with a chuckle.

"Usually your sentences are better put together and I've never known you to yell. You really feel strongly about this...I can see that. You mean well." Sarutobi closed his eyes in thought. "Alright then. I'll get a house set up for you with paid rent. Only until you start making enough money to live off of though. We have a deal?" The old man asked as he extended his hand to the young boy in front of him. Kai didn't expect it to be this easy and was at a loss for words. All he could do was nod his head with wide eyes while his mouth hung open like some sort of fly catcher.

~Flashback End~

That happened 4 years ago. Kai was now 20 and Hime was 17. And even to this day, she still didn't know the reasoning of leaving the fosters care suddenly. Every time she asked, Kai would just smile and tell her not to worry about it. Was it really that big of a secret? She would wonder that every once in a while.

Kankuro decided to take this time to sneak a peek at the poorly dressed girl, who was only wearing a large t-shirt (which undoubtly belonged to Kai at one point) and a pair of black paw printed underwear. Upon feeling a blush rise to his face, he turned his head and attempted to regain his composure. "Hey, not EVERYTHING is broken in the cabinet..Just a large portion of it..." Kai stated after seeing the blush creep up onto Kankuros face, Thank-kami for Kai saving his hide...yet again, or he would have ended up with the same fate as him. "Gee Princess. Despite the name, you sure don't act like one" He teased the poor girl, snapping her out of her daze. Which earned Kankuro a swift punch to the shoulder as she mumbled a quick 'shut up' and pushed them out of the house.

"Ya know, you should really get that whole 'staring at my precious younger sister' thing under control. Sure your my best friend, and as Cute as you may be with face paint or not. She still IS my little sister. I'll let ya look...But NO touchy!" Kai flashed the puppeteer a grin as he slung an arm around his shoulders. His eyes looking over at his friends face to see the reaction he expected. Kankuro wore a bright red blush that could be seen clearly under the purple face paint.

"Awe you don't have to blush for me!" Kai teased, fully knowing the real reason for his blush. The reason definitely not being the act of slinging his arm over his shoulder like Kai had implied while teasing. Kai was Bi and had been since the day of his first male crush. This just happened to be Kankuro himself. Though it thoroughly creeped the puppet master out, he soon enough got used to it and it easily became not only every day behavior from Kai, but natural life between the two. They were best friends, and Kai knew of Kankuros feelings. So Kankuro wasn't ever worried about that.

"Ah, shut up!" Kankuro replied back, nudging him in the side with his elbow and laughing. Kai soon joining him. "Hottie appearing on Gaydar! I repeat, hottie appearing on gaydar!" Kai joked, making fun of his own preference while sizing up the visiting mist shinobi. Kankuro gave him a weird look before commenting himself. "Naw, look at the hottie in the mini skirt with them!" Kankuro whistled to himself, not wanting to attract the attention of the shinobi with her. A fight was the last thing that needed to happen. "Wonder if Hime would ever wear a mini skirt..." He added as an afterthought. Oh how he'd always hoped she would.

"Haha not likely. She hardly wears dresses, unless they reach her knees. So a mini skirt is a dream that's WAY outta the ball park" Kai successfully shattered any hope the young puppet master had.

"So...I got a question for ya..." Kais eyes went downcast as he stared at the sand, watching the heat radiate from it, and rise to the sky. There was a moment of silence as Kai gathered his thoughts.

"You...really like her. Don't you...from the way you act towards other girls...I have my doubts." Kankuro took no time in answering, knowing full well who the older Ando sibling was talking about.

"Nooo, I just get tongue tied and turn into an idiot-"

"An even bigger idiot" Kai corrected cutting him off with his finger in the air in a know-it-all-fact fashion.

"Right. An even bigger idiot when she's around because I think it's fun. Because I think of it as a hobby, because I have nothing better to do...Yeah...cause I just LOVE acting like an idiot around the sexiest girl in Suna! AGH!" Kankuro grabbed at his head in frustration. Hime was the only girl that could ever make Kankuro blush and act the way he does. The only person to make him stumble over his words more than his feet. The only person he was brutally honest with. And in all honesty, He wanted to make her the happiest girl in all the lands. He wanted that hidden sadness in her eyes to melt away.

"Good. But, you hurt her. And I'll make you eat dirt. In front of ALL the pretty ladies in Suna! Your doll will be of no help either" Kai winked before taking off running, holding his grey hat over his pure white hair as he dodged a rock that was thrown his way. Laughing at the anger that showed clearly on the brunettes face.

"ITS NOT A DOLL!" With that, Kankuro chased after his friend. Seeing another girl, this one in a dress. 'Despite her name...She sure as hell doesn't dress like one...' He thought to himself, thinking about the conversation he just had with Kai.

Hime looked around the room with a sigh. She loved waking up in the morning, going downstairs and seeing Kankuro. But she hated the surrounding mess that seemed to eat the floor. "Well I'll eat some breakfast...then better not waste anymore time. I'll start with the living room I suppose..." She spoke to herself as she slumped into the kitchen to grab some breakfast and retrieve a few garbage bags. She walked over to the fridge, with no need to open the door, and peered inside. Nothing. Wait...there was some butter in the back of the fridge. Apparently eating pure butter wasn't exactly a liked thing, even amongst a bunch of drunk idiots. So she took the butter out and placed it onto the counter while opening the drawer and picking out a knife. Locating the bread whereabouts was a difficult task for hime, thanks to the obstacle course of garbage strewn around the room.

"Come on...its gotta be here somewhere...Just two pieces of bread. That's all I ask for! Come On!" She yelled before tripping over a discarded shoe and landing face first onto the floor, thankfully missing the piece of cake splattered on the floor. Which just so happened to be located right beside hime's head. 2 minutes of intense searching and she finally found the bread. Accomplished grin in place she safely made it to the toaster, which was found upside down and halfway out of the window. Why it was there? She had no idea. Plugging it in and putting the bread in, she waited a few minutes for it to pop.

POP

"Ah My toast!" She said excitedly. The toast sounding PRETTY good to her right about now, when her stomach started protesting once again. Toasted and buttered, she happily fed her complaining stomach, hoping this would silence it. "But...why were they cleaning anyway..." Hime questioned to no one after swallowing the food she was chewing. Then it hit her. Her eyes wandered over to the calendar. March 18th. Highlighted in a circle. She should have known. Kai only did that on this day, not wanting to cause her stress. But, what he didn't understand was that Hime was older now. She wasn't a little kid anymore. She didn't forget about her parents, she had just finally come to terms with what had happened. Sighing, she tore her eyes away from the calendar and put her dish into the sink, prompting her to start clean up on the kitchen instead of the originally planned area; the living room. An hour or so later and she was finally done with the kitchen. Only thing left to do for that room was take the garbage bags outside. So she picked them up and trudged to the door, almost being knocked down by Kai as he entered the house in a sprint.

"Hiding from Kankuro!" Kai stated as he sprinted up the stairs and into his room. Hime sighed yet again, placing the bags outside the door and making her way back to the kitchen.

Opening the cupboard underneath the sink, she took out a few more garbage bags and threw them onto her shoulder. Standing up and stretching, she made her way to the living room, where she picked up and chucked food remnants and anything broken into the garbage bag. As well as lost and forgotten articles of clothing.

"Who goes home forgetting to put pants back on..." She spoke to herself as she looked at the pants funnily and stuffed them into the bag, not hearing the front door open and close. She then picked up a sock and couldn't help but stare at it closely. There was what seemed to be white...DOG HAIR...entwined throughout the sock.

"Or walks back to Konoha with only one sock on and no shoes. That's Kibas." Hime slowly turned her head to see who had entered her home. Standing there with a pair of shoes in hand was kankuro, cocky smirk plastered on his painted face and free hand shoved in his pocket.

"Well...that would definatly explain the dog hair." Hime spoke to herself again, stuffing the sock into the garbage bag without a second thought. She continued cleaning in silence for a little while longer before Kankuro cleared his throat, making her jump in her spot behind the couch. Effectively dropping and breaking the only non-broken lamp.

"Yes Kankuro?" She sighed looking down at the lamp, awaiting his answer. "I was thinking...need any help? We made a pretty big mess last night and a girl as pretty as you shouldn't have to clean it up by herself. So? What do ya say?" Hime fought the blush that crept up onto her cheeks as she mulled it over. She knew the comment meant nothing and was probably said to every other girl in the village, but she couldn't help but blush.

"Fine. Just don't break anything else! Got It!" She yelled, hiding her blush behind mock anger. After startling kankuro with her outburst she continued cleaning, picking up yet another pair of pants. 'I know it's the desert and all...But do they really need to strip!'

"Yes, Ma'am!" Came his reply, followed by a snicker and the shuffling of feet as he moved to grab a garbage bag. "Idiot..." She mumbled more to herself, in hopes that the comment would not be heard by said other. Hime blushed upon realizing she had been heard. "I heard that!" He chuckled, picking up more garbage and shoving it into the bag. "Geez, despite the name, you sure don't speak like one"

Hime perked up and swung around the face him. "You shut up and clean!" She swung back around and continued to clean up in a hurry, not wanting Kankuro to see the blush on her cheeks and figure out her true feelings towards him. That would just ruin everything! Not to mention the awkward silence they would have to go through. "Tsk Tsk. princess's don't yell'

"IM NOT A PRINCESS! So shut up and clean!"

"Hey, that story you recommended. It was good. Better than I thought it would be." Kankuro stated as he walked into the kitchen and stood in front of Hime with his hands in his pockets.

"Really? Well I'm glad to hear. There's many good stories from that writer. You should read them...Um...how'd you get in?" Hime looked up after she was finished speaking and put the pencil that was currently in her hand down. She looked at kankuro for a good few seconds, taking note that he didn't wear any face paint today and he was lacking a hood. Suppose there was no pulling on his cat ears today.

"Oh I walked in. Oi! Where's your brother?" He asked taking a look around as if Kai was just going to materialize out of nowhere. Hime watched him look around as she got up and grabbed a box of pocky from the cupboard.

"Um...Oh...Okay. He's in the shower. Want one?" She offered, just to have Kankuro decline.

"Naw, but thanks anyway." Kankuro made his way upstairs, leaving hime leaning against the counter in the kitchen by herself. She vaguely wondered what it was that Kankuro cause possibly do upstairs. Kai was in the shower and she was downstairs, and there was absolutely nothing to do upstairs. So what was it he was doing? She shrugged it off, not wanting to go upstairs and check on him. Though she very soon found out why he went upstairs. She heard the bathroom door creak and fly open.

"Hey! Hurry up! We got shit to do!" Kankuro yelled over the sound of the shower, scaring the young man half to death. Though Kai was bi, Kankuros action thoroughly startled him and made him panic.

"Dude! What the fuck! Why are you in here? Get out!" Kai yelled with a full body blush, attempting to cover himself up while stumbling over his feet on the way to the door.

"Ah we're both guys! Now tell me again where the chips are stashed in this place" Kankuro asked with a shrug, smirk firmly planted on his face at the sight of the flustered Bi.

Kai finally lost it. "ASK MY SISTER!" The door was then slammed shut and inaudible cussing could be heard. The older Tsuki was most definatly flustered.

With a deep chuckle and a wave of his hand, kankuro made his way back into the kitchen and seated himself across from Hime. Taking a good look at the girl in front of him, he noticed her small shoulders shake and her face hidden in her book. His cocky grin washed off his face with concern, but soon painted itself back when the book Hime was holding dropped to the table and she bursted out in laughter.

"That was priceless! I've never seen him so flustered over such a trivial incident!" She exclaimed while wiping the tears from her eyes and holding her stomach. Kankuro smiled and watched the young kunoichi as she laughed. He took this time to, once again, take in the features he loved oh so much about her. The way her eyes sparkled when she was happy. The way her lips curved into the perfect smile that could melt even the coldest of hearts. The way her hips swayed and her hair always looked perfectly sexy, even when a mess. Especially the way she could do ANYTHING and never look anything less than perfect.

Himes laughter finally ceased long enough for her to breathe. But that didn't last long once Kankuro opened his mouth. "So where are the chips in this place?" He asked leaning back in his chair with his feet resting on top of the table. Hime burst out in laughter again. "Your kidding right? You and the rest of Konoha ate everything we had in the house!" She laughed harder then she previously had. Did he really think she had had time to go shopping between cleaning AND fixing the house from their little 'gathering'. HA. Fat chance.

" that just might be a problem." Kankuro snickered, folding his hands together behind his head and leaning back further, almost losing his balance. Luckily he saved himself and regained his balance, making Hime laugh all the more. Kankuro soon joined in, her laugh being quite the contagious one. Especially when she let out a snort.

"Despite the name, you sure don't laugh like one Miss Piggy. Oink Oink!" Kankuro teased the poor girl with a cocky grin, causing her cheeks to turn a bright crimson, almost enough to match their kazekages hair.

"Oh shut up!" She yelled, throwing her book at the unsuspecting puppet master while trying her hardest to cover the blush that painted her cheeks.

"You didn't have to come shopping with me…" Hime squinted up at the sun, remembering just how hot it was. Her eyes traveled over to the boy beside her who was dressed in his usual black attire, she couldn't help but wonder how he survived. 'That must be so hot…' She almost felt dizzy just looking at him. "I don't mind. Hm? Like what you see?" Kankuro asked, cocky grin plastered onto his face once again as he modeled his body with hand gestures.

"Wh-what! No! I was just wondering...How you're not like…Ultra hot in that get-up of yours…" Hime quickly averted her eyes, the screaming child across the street suddenly much more interesting. Once her blush subsided, she grabbed her hair elastic from around her wrist and tied her snowy hair up in a messy bun with a sigh.

"I can't remember the last time it was this hot in Suna…I really hope Gaara has air conditioning in that office of his. I worry he may get heat stroke if he doesn't" She swiftly changed the subject, deciding to bring Gaara into the conversation upon looking at the kage building.

"Hey! Hime!" Someone yelled from behind before Kankuro could even reply. And here he thought he would be able to get some alone time with Hime. Perhaps enough to gather the courage to speak to her about a certain subject. Boy was he wrong apparently. Hime looked behind her in search of the owner of the voice. The first thing seen being a giant fan and blonde hair.

"Oh, Hello Temari! Where are you off to?" She asked her friend with curiosity.

"I'm supposed to go meet up with a few shinobi from Konoha and assist them with a mission. Gaaras orders." Temari sighed as she stretch her arms over her head. Clearly not too impressed with her current mission. Hime continued her conversation with the wind user for what seemed like hours to Kankuro. He couldn't help but wonder if his sister EVER shut up.

"Okay! That's nice. Don't you have to leave or something…" He said, irritation clearly showing on his non-painted face. The girl's conversation came to a standstill as Temari looked past Hime, eyes landing on her impatient sibling.

"Oh, my dork of a brother is here too. Sorry didn't see ya there, my loser detector must be off" Temari taunted her younger brother with a smirk, making Hime giggle. This was nothing new between the siblings, and in all honesty it made her giggle. Kankuro merely grunted in reply, shoved his hands in his pockets, turned, and walked away. An action which surprised Hime.

"Wait! Kankuro!" Hime yelled after him. She said her quick goodbye to Temari and hurried off to Kankuro. Temari just shook her head and laughed, knowing the feelings each held for the other. Hime quickened her pace to try to catch up, wondering when he started walking so fast. But Hime being Hime, She tripped over her feet on the last step, falling and grabbing onto Kankuros arm for support. "Oh...I'm sorry! I didn't mean to…latch...onto your arm..." Himes words became quieter the redder her cheeks became. She was blushing an awful lot today, and she wasn't too sure she liked it. Little did she know, Kankuros cheeks were stained red the second she latched herself onto his arm for support. After a few silent seconds, Kankuro thought it best to shatter that silence.

"Geez, Despite the name, You sure don't have the gracefulness or balance of one. Do ya?"

"Maybe that's because…I'm not a princess!"

"..…Milk, Butter, Chips, Pop, Strawberries, watermelon, Shampoo, dish soap, bread..Yupp. I got everything!" Hime double checked the shopping list with a sigh, and gave it the stamp of approval as she reached to get her wallet. But was confused when Kankuro stepped in front of her.

"Don't worry about it. I got it" He paid the clerk before Hime could protest and chuckled when he saw the look of confusion etched on her face. "I've probably ate more than my share at parties. So don't worry about it." He assured, grabbing the bags before Hime could even reach for them. "Um…I could carry them.."

"Naw, I got it." He assured her once again, squinting his eyes as they walked out into the sun. 10 Minutes of arguing later and Kankuro finally won. Hime gave up and let him carry the bags without another complaint, even though she wanted to help him.

"How about we take a break. There's an ice cream shop over there and an empty bench. Oh it's in the shade too!" Himes eyes shone and her smile widened as she ran ahead and jumped up onto the bench, waving Kankuro over excitedly. He couldn't help but think how cute she was. He was so intent on watching Hime, he didn't even see the blonde hottie walk past him. "Come on Kuro-Kuro! Hurry up!"

Kankuro was snapped out of his daze. "Oi! I told you not to call me that!" She giggled and jumped down, planting her butt on the bench when he arrived. He placed the bags down on the ground and rolled his shoulders. All the while watching Hime stare at the ice cream menu.

"Hm..Bubble gum!..Oh no..But cookie dough sounds really amazing! But the bubble gum does too. Oh it's so hard to choose! What do you want kankuro?" She asked, quite excited about getting an ice cream. She turned around to look at him, but found he wasn't there. Instead she was met with more sun in her eyes, Then a rare cool breeze.

"One Bubble gum and one Cookie dough" Kankuro ordered. If she couldn't decide between them. Then he would just get her both. He didn't mind, He liked them both. He received the ice cream and went and sat back down on the bench. "Hime!" He called the girl over from examining a desert flower. Her head spun around, her body soon following. "Coming!" She smiled her perfect smile and jogged over. Her eyes widened once she reached Kankuro, Having both flavors offered to her.

"Both? Oh no I couldn't possibly!" She started, waving her hands in front of her face in protest.

"You couldn't decide, so I just got both. I don't mind." Kankuro shook his head and laughed at the young girl in front of him. Bubblegum ice cream in hand and a look of adoration towards the ice cream she received.

"Oh! A piece of bubble gum!...it's cold…" She giggled, oblivious to Kankuros gaze. 15 Minutes later and they still hadn't moved, Hime was now sitting on the bench. Her and Kankuro talking about anything they wished. "Oh, can I have some cookie dough?" Kankuro agreed and handed the cone over to her, watching as she ate the ice cream, obviously not noticing the ice cream that was on her cheek. He then did something he just couldn't resist. With a genuine smile, he leaned down and licked the ice cream off her cheek, making her squeak. Turning bright red, she whipped her head around and looked at him with wide eyes.

He looked into her eyes while letting out a chuckle. "geez..despite the name-" Himes eyes softened and she cut him off. "I'm not a princess of any sort. How many times do I have to tell you that.." Her eyes went downcast. Not wanting to make eye contact with Kankuro as she tried to hide her blush.

"Your right. You're not A princess" Kankuro caught Himes cheek as her head sprang up at the answer, which she didn't expect. She looked into his eyes, wondering what he was getting at. He looked her in the eyes and leaned in closer, stopping once his lips were by her ear.

"You're my princess" He whispered into her ear before claiming her lips with his own in a much needed kiss. He pulled away shortly after when she didn't respond.

"Sorry…" He attempted to look to the side but was stopped by a small hand on his cheek.

"You mean that..?" She asked, hope glimmering in her green eyes. Kankuro all to eagerly agreed with a nod, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He watched as a smile took over her face and she crashed her lips to his, landing in his lap. His arms snaked around her small waist as he smirked into the kiss. They soon broke apart for some much needed air. He smiled down at the girl in his lap, quite pleased with how things turned out.

"I love ya, but geez…Despite the name, You sure are an oblivious twit"


	5. Jot This Down

**~Shikamaru~**

A loud explosion was heard from the distance. Then again. Then again. Huge clouds of smoke filled the air as it billowed out from behind the small cottage. Pieces of earth were strewn across the war zone. Trees were scorched and what little grass was left was slowly burning away.

"Hm...So I guess there actually IS a valid reasoning behind her living here" The man stood in awe, staring at the wreckage in front of him, His students mimicking him with dropped jaws.

"Damn! Damn damn damn damn! Why won't this work! All the calculations were correct…" In the middle of the smoking war zone, A small girl with short bright orange hair stood grabbing at her hair with her hands and stomping her foot repeatedly on the ground. Continuously cussing out of frustration and quickly trying to re-do the calculations in her head. She was always smart, but not near as smart as Shikamaru. Oh how she wished she was as smart as him sometimes. Maybe then her creations would work more than the current 13% of the time. Since she first learned to walk, this girl touched everything and anything mechanical or that had a complicated structure that she could attempt to take apart. The older she got, the more skilled she became in building and constructing things that would otherwise be impossible for others to even think about taking apart. She always came up with more failures then successes, but she never gave up. No she couldn't even think about giving up! Especially not after the last time she tried to. Let's just say… Naruto can really hit hard when he wants to. Being herself proclaimed number one supporter, he found it his civil right to hit her upside the head for saying the words 'Give up'. Naruto was always eager to help her with her creations, always causing more trouble than the determined girl did by herself.

"Heeeeyyy! Chizuko-woah!" Naruto stopped in his tracks upon seeing the condition the young girls' yard was in. Chizuko didn't even bother looking up, being too busy doing the calculations in her head. So Naruto silently walked over to her, walking past the team still standing in awe, and slung an arm over her shoulders. Chizuko gave an inaudible yelp and jumped upon the touch, not noticing she even had any company at all.

"Huh! Naruto!" She quickly calmed herself and took her goggles off, letting them hang around her soot covered neck, which wasn't the only part of her covered in suit. Naruto pulled back and took a good look at his friend. Covered head to toe in light soot, only her eyes where the goggles sat being uncovered, and grease smudges could be seen on her exposed skin. The Fitted tank top she wore for comfort, Even though she hated the fact that it made her more than average sized chest more noticeable, was slightly singed at the bottom. This made Narutos eyes wander down to her black cargo shorts, which had burn holes through them. Not to mention her scarf was missing, most likely blown away by the blast of her creation exploding.

"Wooaah! Hehe, you really did a number on yourself too! Looks like you had fuun Chizu! Couldn't you have waited?" Naruto whined Just to get hit upside the head by Chizuko herself.

"Idiot! Constructing doesn't wait for people!"Chizuko's hand unclenched and she sighed. Reaching down and cleaning off her goggles, she placed them back on her face with a _slap. _She then picked up her forgotten wrench, ruffled her hair and then continued building whatever had exploded while giving Naruto simple orders.

The team standing in awe finally got the courage to enter the yard. If Naruto wasn't harmed, then they should be fine...right? But of course, the female loud mouth couldn't just walk in quietly. She had to walk in with a stream of insults.

"Oh! Is that who you're talking to Naruto? I thought a new boy moved to town. And it's not just the hair" The blonde girl said with a snicker. She had always been jealous of poor Chizuko, though the reasoning still stood unknown. Chizuko's head sprung up from the heap of metal on the ground, making eye contact with the girl as a frown immediately took over her lips.

"Oh...Its you. Please go away and get off my property. It is considered trespassing unless you are invited. If you do not remove your scrawny body from my lawn you will be taken off my force." Chizuko Smirked as she hoisted her wrench up onto her shoulder, an evil glint shooting through her eyes. Ino stared back at Chizuko, trying to figure out if the insane mechanic would actually hurl the wrench. A puff of smoke interrupted the girls staring contest, Asuma finally deciding to step in. Shikamaru and Choji had long since made their way over to where Naruto stood, examining whatever it was she was attempting to create.

"That's enough Chizuko. You're not going to harm anyone. And Ino. Shut your mouth for now, She does have a point. You are technically trespassing onto her property. Hell...We all are." Asuma said with authority while dropping his cigarette onto the ground and lighting another. Chizuko's eyes stared at the butt that was currently residing in her yard, smoking in the dirt.

"You're cleaning that up." She bluntly stated before turning around and heading back over to her project.

"So what are you trying to do anyway?" Choji questioned, opening a bag of chips as he looked more intently at the various pieces of metal scattered around the lawn. Shikamaru taking more interest in the large piece imbedded into the back of her house. Chizuko was about to answer Choji, until she noticed that Shikamarus gaze had landed on her house. So with curiosity, she followed his gaze and her eyes too, landed on her house. Her eyes widened considerably before squinting, her teeth clenching in slight frustration. But it soon all faded away as she sighed and made her way over to the wood pile. Picking up a large flat board, she carried it over and leaned it against the house.

"Hey, you. Naruto. See my hammer anywhere?" She questioned, not being able to find it for the life of her. When Chizuko was building, she tended not to be organized at all. Which is why her Hammer was found lodged in the base of the willow tree, which was surprisingly still alive and healthy…ish, and the nails she needed were hammered into the back door. She claimed it was for easy finding and quick getting. Shikamaru sighed and shook his head. 'Is she ALWAYS this disorganized?' being the only thought going through the lazy chuunins mind. He watched the young kunoichi as she yanked the nails out of the door with the hammer and made her way over to the metal slab currently sticking out of her house. A slight smile made its way onto his face as he watched her pull and yank on the debris from every angle. Everything pointed to 'seemingly having difficulties getting it out'. So with a light chuckle, he made his way over to the goggled girl whom was currently hitting the metal with her wrench, using all her possible strength.

"I will...Get it OUT!" She yelled hitting it one last time before being intercepted by Shikamaru, who merely walked over and looked at it as if studying it. Then reached up and pulled it out like it was nothing. Upon realizing that it was fairly heavy, he dropped it to the ground and shoved it aside, out of the way.

"There ya go." He drawled with a sigh, shoving his hands back into his pockets. He opened his eyes and took a look at her, not sure what he should be expecting from her. He could never figure her out. Never figure out why she looked at him the way she did, why she constantly stalked him and hid behind various objects, thinking she went unseen, when he looked back. He just settled for 'She's strange. Troublesome and strange'. Chizuko looked at him suspiciously as she slowly circled him. Being careful not to turn her back to him. She then pulled out her usual notebook and jotted some things down before shutting it quickly and shoving it back into her pocket. _Hm…Helpful. Why is he helping me…Ill keep an eye on him..._She nodded a thank you to him and then made her way over to her project. Looking at Choji she answered him.

"Well I'm trying to create a Robot. Virtual human. Artificial intelligence. A being that doesn't need organs to live. Then perhaps...Perhaps then..." her words faded out and her shoudlers started shaking. "IT CAN BECOME THE ULTIMATE SLAVE! AND SERVE ONLY ME! MWUHAHAHA!" Chizuko froze in place. She had not realized she was around others. She quickly shut up and composed herself, thanking Kami that her oversized goggles shaded most of her blush. Then silence ensued as she did nothing but stand there, her fingers placed on her goggles. Laughter busted out and echoed throughout the clearing. Her blush got worse. Then it disappeared altogether and a determent look washed over her.

"Your right! Hm...Reaching for that goal would be too great. I must reach for something smaller then make my way up...Perhaps ill try to finish my Robotic cat first…It can meow and wag its tail. It's got the normal behaviors of a cat…It's just the movement that's a bit off...hm...Yes..." She jumped up from her spot on the ground, which she occupied half way through her speech, and ran inside.

Crash! Bang! Bzzzt!Topple! Smash!

Chizuko emerged from the house, even dirtier then she was upon entry, with a box in hand. She placed the box down on the ground and grabbed her screwdriver, Along with a few gears. She took the robotic cat out of the box and placed it on a plastic crate she had laying about. Her yard was practically a junk yard; she had everything she could imagine at her disposal. The visitors all looked at it in awe. Besides the fact of it being metal, it looked almost life like. She pulled a torch out making Asuma, Ino and Naruto all cry out.

"NO!" Their hands were outstretched and they had a look of sheer panic on their faces.

"Um...You realize…Its metal. Right Asuma Sensei?...and other company?" Chizuko dead panned, torch still held in the air and 'kitten' underneath. Looking quit threatening to the untrained eye. Shikamaru and Choji merely sweat dropped. A few seconds of staring at Asuma, Ino and Naruto stupidly later, And she got to work.

~30 minutes later~

"Gah! The outer body is perfect! But the mechanisms inside aren't working properly! What am I doing wrong!" She started doing quick calculations in her head once again. Shikamaru decided to take this time to get another good look at Chizuko. Her get-up was Unusual, but what else would one expect from a transferred Stone shinobi. She had fair skin and Dark Orange eyes that complimented her Bright orange hair quite well. She was shorter than most girls in the village, but could pull her own weight and stand her own with a bunch of guys. Shikamaru wouldn't admit it to anyone else other then Choji and himself, that he liked this strange girl. He had since the day he met her.

~Flashback Start~

How boring, this day was going to be like every other. At least, that's what he thought when he first woke up. And so far, it was going as planned. Routine training. Then going out to eat, Barbeque like always. Then the usual fighting over the food. So far everything was going as planned. But then it all changed like the blink of an eye. They had been eating for not only 10 minutes when a commotion arose in the kitchen.

Crash! Bang! Boom!

Then yelling was heard. "WOAH! What..? Wait! Who the hell are you! You're not allowed to touch that! Ah! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Then the trouble maker.

"No! Leave me alone! You don't understand! This is NEEDED to complete my creation!"

Panic started to rise in the restaurant as smoke billowed from the kitchen. With a sigh, Asuma got out of his seat and walked over to the back of the building where the kitchen was located. His students not far behind.

"Alright...Whats going on?" Asuma drawled, desperately wanting a smoke. The cook immediately pointed to a small girl who was slowly inching her way towards the open window, gears and what seemed like a metal pipe clutched tightly to her chest. Asuma continued to speak to the cook, all the while the girl was getting closer and closer to her designated exit, with her goggles still firmly in place on her face...

"Asuma, The girl is escaping out the window..." Shikamaru tried to inform the jounin, but was just shrugged off, not being heard. So he tried again.

"Asuma. The girl is escaping through the open window." Shikamaru informed again, still not being heard. Then the girl did it. She escaped without being noticed by the higher ups AT ALL. Shikamaru sighed in frustration.

"Asuma! She just went through the open window! She's gone!" he raised his voice, finally getting the attention of his superior. With another sigh, Asuma looked out the window and exited the building. "We'll get her..." he then muttered a low damn and went on his way. Shikamaru following close behind, muttering an audible 'what a drag'

One hour of searching later and the mystery girl was found. She had apparently gotten sidetracked by a complicated 3d puzzle game; Constructed of various differently sized and shaped pieces that, if constructed correctly and thought out well, could be done in the challenged time period. Giving the player the win. Upon further inspection, the shinobi group noticed an aggravated look crawl onto her face before she screamed and threw her hands up into the air.

"What is **wrong** with this game! I've never been stumped at a mere puzzle strategy game...Never! Heck! I've never been beaten at any strategy game! This game must be rigged! Yeah that's it! R-I-G-G-E-D! RIGGED!" she grabbed at her bright orange hair in frustration before continuing with the game.

Shikamaru, seeing the slight amusement in the current situation, walked over and sat down opposite of the girl. He looked at the puzzle for a few seconds, immediately pointing out the problem. With a smirk he stretched his arm out and took the left upper corner piece, which he then traded with the right lower corner piece. And like that, the puzzle was finished. The girls jaw dropped as she stared in disbelief. She watched him get up, stretch and walk back to his squad. She could suddenly feel a blush creep up to her cheeks. No one had been able to just walk up and fix something like that...so quickly too. There was hardly any thinking process that took place in his mind. The gears hardly moved. She didn't know what this feeling was, but she came up with a conclusion. Her goggles and hair covered most of her eyes and the top of her cheeks. So no one else noticed but her.

She abruptly stood up, closing her mouth and clutching the 'borrowed' goods to her chest once more. "Noda. Chizuko Noda" With that she took one last suspicious look at the pineapple haired boy and took off running in the direction of the forest.

~Flashback End~

Yes. He liked her. A lot more then he originally had thought. He smiled at the memory, but was soon yanked back into reality when Choji jabbed him in the side with his elbow. With a shake of his head and a quick apology his eyes quickly wandered to the mechanical cat. The gears in his head immediately began moving and he got an idea. He wasn't too sure it would work. But he could try. So he bent down and opened the cat up, inspecting the movements of the parts and the silent clicking of the gears. He picked up a spare gear from the ground, noticing a slight gap amongst the gears. He placed the gear in and rigged it up. Hoping that's how you do it. He never was good with constructing things. Sure he was smarter than Chizuko. But when it came to building and constructing, she was smarter than anyone. Being able to build off of just an idea. A fantasy even. Mechanical constructing was her life; it was what she lived for! What she was good at. But in her field of work...It was limited. Supplies often not being able to be found. This is why Shikamaru guessed she hated to throw anything metal away. Claiming she would be able to use it at a later date.

He silently crossed his fingers, hoping he would get a lucky cut and it would work. Sure enough… It worked. Chizuko's eyes widened and she looked back from the cat to Shikamaru, quite a few times before a grin plastered her face and she lost control.

"It works! It really works! I don't know how you did it...But It works!" She flung her arms around Shikamaru neck, almost knocking him to the ground. But as soon as it started it ended. She quickly let go, dusted herself off and cleared her throat. Giving him a suspicious look while quickly putting her oversized goggles back onto her face and pulling out her notebook again. _He has shown signs of constructing smarts. Whether it was just pure luck or not...Is another question. I flung myself at him like an idiot...What if he took advantage of that moment of weakness. I must be more careful next time._.. The mechanical cat meowed, gaining the attention of the blushing teens.

"Well...Let's see. All your functions seem to be working perfectly fine! How's your jump function?  
>She asked as it jumped off the plastic crate onto the ground, where it circled her feet and curled up on the grass. She had been working on this project for over 5 years, and finally having it done and WORK simply made her ecstatic. But she stayed quiet about it after the hugging the 'enemy' incident.<p>

Asuma looked up to the sky, realizing what time it was he rounded up his team and left, dragging Naruto along as well after some 'Kind' convincing from Chizuko and her wrench.

Ah...It was going to be one of _those_ days for Shikamaru. "What a drag…" He commented to himself as he watched Chizuko dash behind a tree out of the corner of his eye. He then turned around just in time to see her reaching her farthest to try to reach her fallen notebook. With a sigh, he walked up unnoticed and picked it up. Handing it to her as he lazily stared at her, just waiting for her to take it off his hands. Chizuko yelped and snatched the notebook out of his hand, silently cursing herself for being caught. What if he had seen her notes! Would the enemy take defensive actions? Or perhaps they would take offensive actions. Chizuko was NOT about to find out. So with notebook once again in hand, she smashed a hole in the wall with her carried around wrench and bolted out of the Nara's sight.

She stopped a few blocks away and leaned up against the wall to catch her breath. She couldn't let the enemy get her! She didn't quite know WHO the enemy...wasbut whoever it was. They were toying with her. They must be using chakra to create the effects. That's was she believed. Since the first day she met the lazy ninja, she had felt...weird. She would silently get excited when he dropped by her house to visit. Her face got warm and red when he was around. And she felt a longing...A Want to be near him when he was gone. She didn't understand it. And the sheer fact that he beat her! At almost every strategy game they played together. She was beaten. Before meeting him, she was never beaten. Nor did she ever feel these things around or about ANY other person. So being the oblivious twit that she was, Came to the conclusion…That Shikamaru was actually a mechanical pawn of some sort. Its 'owner' storing chakra into the body as to not get caught. Another possibility she came up with was they found out how to take control over someone body, without a close connection. Nor a physical connection. And they chose her…To _toy_ with her before taking the plunge and taking her down for the count! So she must continue her research and jot down every little thing that seems...suspisious. _He had the notebook IN HIS HANDS. But he gave it back...Willingly at that. What were his motives for not looking in it…_

"You didn't go very far did ya Chizu." Shikamaru whispered in her ear in a bored tone, his breathe tickling her ear and making her face heat up immediately.

'Speak of the devil and he appears!' She swung her head around to find the shadow user a few inches away. She froze at the close proximity. One wrong move...and their...Lips...might…

"No No No No! That must be his evil plan to steal my life force! Well _Shikamaru Nara_..IF that is your real name…_**Are not getting my life force!"**_ She screamed as she quickly backed away from him, her cheeks going even redder then they were before. She then turned and dashed for home, leaving a very confused Shikamaru in her wake.

"Well, maybe she'll let me talk to her tomorrow...Such a troublesome woman...Why do I put up with it. Stupid question." He muttered to himself and continued on his way home.

'Hmm. I haven't been able to get any new information on him for the past 2 weeks...so time for the final research step. Time to go and pay a visit to….'

"Mr. and Ms._Nara..._If that is **really** who you are…" Chizuko started her interrogation right as soon as the 'parents' opened the door.

"Uh...Excuse me?" Shikaku deadpanned and sweat dropped when she pulled her notebook out. He was thoroughly confused; neither of the older Naras was quite sure what to do. So yoshino took the stand.

"And who are you to be questioning who we really are?" She asked, slightly irked that she had to leave the kitchen to deal with this.

"I am Chizuko Noda. I am here to-"She quickly got cut off by an unsuspecting hug. A Hug? Why was she getting hugged by the possible enemy! They could be harboring, or even worse...THEY could be the masterminds behind all this. And the main enemy was hugging her!

"OH! So you're Chizuko! We have heard so much about you from Shikamaru! Not that he actually tells us anything _willingly_, mind you" She complained to Chizuko while grabbing her hand and pulling her in. Automatically inviting her to stay for lunch. But from certain stories, keeping her away from anything she could easily take apart in a matter of minutes. So she decided to just sit her on the couch, where no harm could be done.

"So he's told you about me, huh? _Very_ Interesting…" She jotted down the newly required info, her pencil going a mile a minute as she wrote down the thoughts that came to mind._ Relays information. Reports to the so called…'parental units'_

"Yupp. I hear you're a mechanic of sorts. Also hear you're a bit of a jumper when it comes to conclusions. Famous for jumping to conclusions of fantasy, of the impossible. Sounds fun." Shikaku entered the room, holding what looked like a semi cold soda. _Drinks semi cold beverages. Weird__. _She jotted down more in her notebook.

"Shikamarus not here, but he should be home soon. I hear you're very good with your hands, like fixing things. Mind taking a look at our fridge? Perhaps you can figure out what's wrong with it." Yoshino politely asked, after being complained to by Shukaku._Purposely broke fridge to require more time? Hm...Interesting. Must look further into it. _

"Yes. I wouldn't mind, _Yoshino_" Chizuko replied, very suspicious of the newly required info. She was escorted to the fridge where she immediately opened it and looking inside. The mechanic-obsessed side quickly took over and before she knew it, she was in a full blown conversation with both Shikaku and Yoshino and the fridge was practically fixed already.

"Phew, there. All done! It works now. Any other problems, don't hesitate to ask me!" She froze after her sentence. What have they done! They found out her weakness! And now they know even MORE about her! How could she be so careless! She quickly grabbed her notebook and jotted down more notes, writing in a panic. _Definitely to require more time. They seem smarter then I originally thought. Must not underestimate them again. They know my weakness. Who knows what else they know! Must be extra careful from now on…This mission is becoming dangerous._

"That's wonderful Chizuko! Thank you so much! You worked hard, would you like some Juice? Pop perhaps?" Yoshino smiled gratefully at her as she opened the fridge to inspect the work that was done.

"….No. I am quite fine. Thank you." She kept a firm gaze on them taking more notes. _Shikaku seems to be the underling…Constantly ordered around by Yoshino without much question. Hm...That would make yoshino the boss of the place. How much power does she have over Shikamaru…I must find this out. Might be able to use that to my advantage in the near future…_

"Hm...Mr. and Mrs. _Nara_. Does Shikamaru shower? Does he have a routine that he goes by?" She waited patiently for the answer.

"Yeah...Well I think he does anyway. And when he doesn't yoshino soaks him with a bucket of water. As for routine. Not really. He can't keep a routine to save his life, Ha-ha!" _Shikaku found my question…Amusing. But I got my answer I suppose. He does NOT short circuit with water, much like most of my creations do. There must be a secret to it. And for a being of that caliber…without a routine. Very strange._

"Hm, Chizuko…? Awe man, what are you doing here with my parents. Don't believe a word they tell you...man, what a drag..." Shikamaru walked into the living room, just getting home. Chizuko froze in place, eyes glued to the floor. 'That's it! It all makes sense now! They wanted to lure me here and make me stay longer till he got home...are they going to make their move now…I must flee for now!' Chizuko thought, slightly panicked. She was raised by an odd bunch, the Noda's being well known in the stone for the crazy way they go about things. Chizuko was defiantly no exception.

"I won't let you get away with it! Not today! NOT EVER!" She yelled jumping off the couch and pointing a finger at Shikamaru and his parents. All three got a look of sheer confusion etched onto their faces. Chizuko then lost sight of Shikamaru. She then yelped when he appeared behind her and once again spoke right by her ear. Purposely making his breathe tickle her ear, causing her Goosebumps. Something he absolutely loved to do! Got the reaction he wanted every time.

"Troublesome girl…What are you talking about…" Chizuko shivered and almost couldn't find the knowledge of movement in her brain. She stood there; blush painted onto her cheeks and an inaudible moan trying to escape. Finally finding the knowledge needed to move, she brought her hands to her head and covered her ears, dropping her notebook in the process before sending him a suspicious look and dashing out the door. Once a good 4 blocks away from the house, she finally stopped and leaned up against a wall. Head full of new info that needed to be recorded, she reached for her notebook. Her eyes widened resembling saucers. She dropped it at the house! What is she going to do now! Home. Yeah. That's what she'll do.

After some pacing, Chizuko finally decided on one plan of action. She would first go home and think of a plan. Then she would go through with the plan!

She finally got home and immediately started pacing in her yard, since there was VERY limited space in her small home. She could hardly reach her kitchen at the present time.

'What am I gonna do…what if they find it and read it! READ IT! First ill get a team...yes. A Team! But that still won't work…They have gained the trust of everyone else in the village. Shikamaru has become…friends with them…I wonder...if he was hurt by me running out again, like I always do. Do I always hurt him like that...NO! That is NOT the topic of concern! Enemy, enemy ene-"Chizuko's thoughts were interrupted by the falling of one of her many metal piles.

"Sorry, My bad. So...im an artificial being huh?" Shikamaru questioned with a smirk, seemingly expecting the reason for her actions to be because of something like that. He walked closer towards her, holding the notebook in his hands, in her line of vision.

"Well...uh...theres no other explanation for it! All the evidence leads to it!" She crossed her arms in front of her chest and suspiciously looked at him once again. She trusted him...But at the same time, kept her distance because of the 'info' she found.

"It's simple. You like me." His smirk grew even more when he noticed her cheeks turn a bright crimson.

"N-no…That's...not possible...yeah! Not possible" with every step Shikamaru took forward, she took back to stay equal distance from him. But her luck ran out and her back hit a tree.

"Then what is it? I'll honestly tell ya, I'm nothing but human. Flesh and bone." He knocked on the bone of his arm as further proof. All the while still advancing.

"Well...Uh…" Chizuko was at a loss for words. She never thought of that possibility...but now that it was brought up, it was starting to make more sense in her head. Chizuko hadn't noticed how close Shikamaru had gotten during herself debate, but blushed a dark crimson when she finally did.

"I got an idea, anything but a drag. I've got a hunch. Wanna test it..?" he whispered in her ear while resting his left hand on her hip and smirking wider when he felt her shudder underneath his touch. His right hand immediately came up to rest on her cheek as he guided her lips to his, pulling her body closer to his with his left hand. Once the shock factor left Chizuko's small body, she immediately kissed back. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she attempted to pull him closer, deepening the kiss. Shikamaru licked her bottom lip, silently pleading for entrance which she gladly granted. Her lips parted and he shot his tongue in, not wasting any time in exploring every inch of her mouth. Shikamaru automatically gaining dominance over the small girl. Finally they broke apart for much needed air. He then kissed her forehead and walked behind her, snaking his arms around her waist and leaning against the tree behind him and holding Chizuko close.

"So…Still think I'm an artificial being here to destroy you...Or whatever you're paranoid brain was telling you?" He laughed at the thought of it while resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Well no! Of course not! Would I have kissed an artificial being trying to destroy me?" She replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, fully relaxing and leaning into Shikamaru even more.

"Though My parents are thinking the same about you…" He non-chalantly stated, Chizuko automatically believing him.

"WHAT! "She yelled, trying to turn around to look him in the face.

"I'm joking! Calm down you troublesome woman" he laughed and stole a kiss before she could reply

"Jot this down in your notebook. I, Shikamaru Nara, has fallen in love with the prettiest, strangest and by FAR the most troublesome girl. In _all_ the lands."


End file.
